One of the biggest and best things about having friends is ‘do overs.’ My BFF and I have been just that for the last 25 years. We have had ups and downs and we have hurt each others feelings and said dumb things and disagree on lots of issues, LOTS of issues. But anytime we have done those things we have been able to declare a do over. Do overs are one of the most valuable and least used tools in the friendship tool kit. When you are growing up do overs are essential part of the game. You whiff at kicking the ball, the ball goes out of bounds and into the mean neighbors yard, your mom calls just as you are taking a swing at a the winning run, you weren’t ready when the ball was pitched, so you call a do over.
Do overs are important for friendships as well. Sometimes we say and do things we aren’t proud of, but forgiveness and do overs are the bedrock of friendship. If we can’t forgive our friends for doing dumb things how can we expect to keep them. What happens when we do dumb things if we can’t expect forgiveness from our friends? Sometimes a misunderstanding gets in the way of rational thinking, emotions are a powerful thing. None of us want to see our friends hurt and sometimes we take sides in an argument or misunderstanding with out having all the facts. Then we inadvertently hurt our other friends. Those are the times we need a do over more than anything.
A friend who is willing to call a do over is very hard to come by. They are the ones to be treasured and nurtured. Because sometimes we do something and need the do over ourselves. Being willing to call a do over doesn’t mean you are a push over, it just means we value our friends enough to give them the benefit of the doubt and forgiveness makes us all better people.
Happy thoughts for a happy day.
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